SiCKO
Just got back from Michael Moore's Sicko, and I must admit I enjoyed it. It had its classic Moore moments (1950s era footage of the American dream, vignettes about working-class Americans, unbalanced portrayals of other countries, and a handful of sheer self-aggrandizement), but on the whole I was mildly impressed. It had a clear message, one that wound up coming across more poignantly than I expected, and he did a good job of presenting the inadequacies of the American system without having to resort to too much propagandizing. Quick list before I go to bed:
Liked:
- The recording of Nixon's discussions on HMOs. Very chilling stuff.
- The coverage of Hilary Clinton's attempts to initiate universal health care in the States. I had no clue that she had been a proponent, and it was a depressing contrast to (a) who she was later forced to be as Clinton's wife and (b) who she appears to be now.
- The shocking look at Cuban healthcare. I've never been so impressed out-of-the-blue with a country in my life. The fact that the majority of Cubans interviewed freely acknowledged that they lived in a relatively poor country, and yet they not only had a world-class medicare system but were strong supporters and contributors to international aid was completely unexpected. I think Moore did a very good job of bringing to light the falsity of the negative image of Cuba that has existed in America for decades.
- Almost all of the Canadian footage. I felt very pandered to, which is rare to see from an American filmmaker. It wasn't Oscar-worthy material, but I feel he struck at the heart of what a lot of Canadians hold to be their identifying attributes.
Disliked:
- Misrepresentation of the Canadian health care system. Basic healthcare is free, but ER lines are long, doctors are in short supply, and specialist appointments can take upwards of 6 months. Prescription medicine is cheaper than the states, but still costly at times
- The trip to Gitmo. Good visual parallel that highlights a lot of the inconsistencies of treatments, but the whole "shouting through a megaphone at a watchtower about 9/11 workers" was showy and overdone
- The cheque for the anti-Moore website owner. If it was charitable, why admit to it? If you really aren't bothered by his criticism, why provide him with more facetime under the guise of "being the bigger man" (no pun intended)?
- The selection of doctors interviewed in foreign countries. Barring one or two, they were all young, attractive, successful, well-spoken professionals with a rich family life and an abundant social one, who lived in spacious and expensive apartments and who seemed exuberantly happy about everything.
I also have to note that while I try to remain uninvolved in the plights of these "human interest" vignettes that crop up in Moore's documentaries, this is the first where I felt he truly was standing up for an important issue. The atrocities committed in the American hospitals were numbing, and that was something else I did not expect. I understood that the American system denied care to many patients, but the testimonials from these neglected patients were overwhelming. Even more so, the footage of high-ranking HMO officials coming clean about the work that they'd done was like no eye-opener I've had in a long time. The complicity of government officials, HMO executives, and the drug company CEOs was unsettling, to say the least. For once I feel like Moore's characteristic vitriol and hyperbole is justified. It truly did come across as a conspiracy to withhold care and treatment for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of the insurance companies. For once, being able to put a face to the victims did some good. Watching HMO-sponsored hospitals turn away patients in desperate need of assistance by loading them into an uncaring cab and literally kicking them to the curb outside another hospital was surreal. And I think that was what the movie captured so well: the sheer absurdity of how these people are being treated, and how remorseless their government is.
After reading some reviews online, I think the blurb from the Philadelphia Inquirer sums up the movie best: "It is not a polemic, but a plea."
Liked:
- The recording of Nixon's discussions on HMOs. Very chilling stuff.
- The coverage of Hilary Clinton's attempts to initiate universal health care in the States. I had no clue that she had been a proponent, and it was a depressing contrast to (a) who she was later forced to be as Clinton's wife and (b) who she appears to be now.
- The shocking look at Cuban healthcare. I've never been so impressed out-of-the-blue with a country in my life. The fact that the majority of Cubans interviewed freely acknowledged that they lived in a relatively poor country, and yet they not only had a world-class medicare system but were strong supporters and contributors to international aid was completely unexpected. I think Moore did a very good job of bringing to light the falsity of the negative image of Cuba that has existed in America for decades.
- Almost all of the Canadian footage. I felt very pandered to, which is rare to see from an American filmmaker. It wasn't Oscar-worthy material, but I feel he struck at the heart of what a lot of Canadians hold to be their identifying attributes.
Disliked:
- Misrepresentation of the Canadian health care system. Basic healthcare is free, but ER lines are long, doctors are in short supply, and specialist appointments can take upwards of 6 months. Prescription medicine is cheaper than the states, but still costly at times
- The trip to Gitmo. Good visual parallel that highlights a lot of the inconsistencies of treatments, but the whole "shouting through a megaphone at a watchtower about 9/11 workers" was showy and overdone
- The cheque for the anti-Moore website owner. If it was charitable, why admit to it? If you really aren't bothered by his criticism, why provide him with more facetime under the guise of "being the bigger man" (no pun intended)?
- The selection of doctors interviewed in foreign countries. Barring one or two, they were all young, attractive, successful, well-spoken professionals with a rich family life and an abundant social one, who lived in spacious and expensive apartments and who seemed exuberantly happy about everything.
I also have to note that while I try to remain uninvolved in the plights of these "human interest" vignettes that crop up in Moore's documentaries, this is the first where I felt he truly was standing up for an important issue. The atrocities committed in the American hospitals were numbing, and that was something else I did not expect. I understood that the American system denied care to many patients, but the testimonials from these neglected patients were overwhelming. Even more so, the footage of high-ranking HMO officials coming clean about the work that they'd done was like no eye-opener I've had in a long time. The complicity of government officials, HMO executives, and the drug company CEOs was unsettling, to say the least. For once I feel like Moore's characteristic vitriol and hyperbole is justified. It truly did come across as a conspiracy to withhold care and treatment for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of the insurance companies. For once, being able to put a face to the victims did some good. Watching HMO-sponsored hospitals turn away patients in desperate need of assistance by loading them into an uncaring cab and literally kicking them to the curb outside another hospital was surreal. And I think that was what the movie captured so well: the sheer absurdity of how these people are being treated, and how remorseless their government is.
After reading some reviews online, I think the blurb from the Philadelphia Inquirer sums up the movie best: "It is not a polemic, but a plea."